Trimming The Tree

I love Christmas. There, I said it. I love the lights. I love the songs. I love seeing the brightness of a child's eyes when they get to the front of the line to see Santa Claus. I don't love the crowded stores so much, especially when I'm trying to find just one more thing, but I don't mind it so much when I'm just window shopping.

My favorite part of the holiday season, though, is the Saturday/Sunday after Thanksgiving because that is when we trim our tree.

I've always had a fake tree, and I think we probably always will. Not because fake trees are more beautiful (they aren't) or because we're too lazy to go cut down our own (because I think that would be fun), but because it's just the way we've always done it - on RadioMan's side of the family and my own.

What I love most about decorating are the memories that come up as we're pulling the ornaments out of the box. There is the little brown-faced pea in the peapod that my sister gave bebe on her first Christmas. There is the fired-clay wood-sided station wagon with a tree on top that I picked out a couple of years pre-bebe for RadioMan and i. There is the hot-pink glitter-covered star that bebe chose to be our tree topper when she was 3 and our old angel lost it's head (literally, I hope we don't get holiday points off for losing the angel's head). The string of extra lights that we don't really need but that we always find a place for...and remember going store-to-store on December 23rd because one of our existing strings died. There are handmade ornaments and store bought treats. There isn't popcorn because we don't understand why anyone would waste good popcorn that way, but there is a pickle (don't ask).

Mostly, though, there are memories. Some I don't completely remember, but when I see the
ornament, I get that warm fuzzy feeling in my tummy.

There are a few presents under the tree already, and more will come as the season progresses...but the biggest gift, the one I look forward to most every year is already here...with the ornaments on the tree.

Comments

  1. I love the picture of Kyle and bebe--you can almost see her wrapping herself around his little finger... I love trees, whether they're real or artificial, because the feelings they generate are ALL real. Happy days, Kristi.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks, Liz, me, too! And he is most definitely *wrapped*! :D

      Delete
  2. Love this Kristi! And the pickle! We have a pickle, too--it's a German tradition. Great picture of your family! You've inspired me to get out decorations.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'd never heard of the pickle, but a friend of ours gave us one when we moved to the new house...and it's been here ever since. Happy decorating, Nan!

      Delete
  3. I still have Halloween up. I guess it's time to make the change :) I have three days off, so no excuses!

    We always get a real tree. Once we did an artificial and it just didn't feel as "real" to me. I don't know if I missed the smell or the not-quite-perfect branches? And I always go with a noble fir--even if they cost a bit more.

    Once my mom got a tree with a frog in it and whenever she played Kenny G's Christmas CD, the frog would croak along. It was hilarious.

    And I love the lights! I love to have all the lights off in a dark room with just the light of the Christmas tree--and I always do multi-colored strands. There's something so peaceful about a lit tree.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is hysterical about the frog, Margie!

      We did all-white one year, Margie. Nope. Doesn't cut it, has to be multi-colored!

      PS: bebe just started her LEGO advent calendar - so much fun!

      Delete
  4. Our house is the opposite. We've always had a real tree. I love "O Tannenbaum". For me it's the twinkly lights, lots and lots of twinkly lights. Our ornaments take us down memory lane too! And what's most amazing, is once decorated, like with Carlie Brown and the gang, the Christmas Tree is perfect! Merry Christmas.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Merry Christmas, Tanja! Twinkly lights are the best...bebe has one strand that stays up in her room all year long...I kind of dread the day she decides twinkly lights are only for the holidays...

      Delete
    2. I have blue ones in my living room window all year long. Just one fifty strander, but I love it :) In the house before this one we had a white bannister and I had pink lights twined along it all year long--it was the night light for when KB or I came home late after a closing shift.

      Delete
    3. that is so cool! I wish we had a banister because I would *so* do that! Maybe I'll come up with something that lasts year-round for our mantle...you're making me *think*, Margie! lolol :D

      Delete

Post a Comment